It's not just a Hollywood stereotype that shows the sensitive side of Latin American men — but according to new research, the citizens who demonstrate the most emotions tend to come from island nations.

In a recent poll from Gallup looking at the most and least emotional countries in the world, the Philippines came out on top of the 150 countries surveyed as having citizens who felt the most emotions daily, with 60 per cent saying they experienced both positive and negative emotions each day. On the other end of the scale, Singaporeans were the least emotion, with only 36 per cent stating that they felt any emotions over the course of 24 hours.

Interestingly, the study didn't discern between the positive and negative emotions experienced, which included feeling well-rested, being treated with respect, enjoyment, smiling and laughing a lot, and learning or doing something interesting for the former, and anger, stress, sadness, physical pain, and worry for the latter.

In previous studies, it's been questioned whether "happiness" should be viewed as a universally good thing. Comparing North American vs. Asian cultures, for example, a Time magazine piece noted that while Americans felt a sense of personal accomplishment when they experienced happiness, the Japanese instead related that to all of their society's achievements. That collectivist mentality is something that appears to apply in the Philippines as well.

But does a more emotional society mean a happier — or sadder — one? According to the Happy Planet Index published in June, the Philippines ranks number 25 of the 151 countries, thanks primarily to its excellent score on the ecological footprint of the country, and a middle-of-the-road ranking for life expectancy and experiencing well-being (Singapore was placed at 90, due to an almost exactly opposite score).

And for Filipinos, it could literally be learned emotion. As Filipino journalist Alan C. Robles wrote in Time in 2005: "Hundreds of years of bad government have taught us to expect little from impersonal institutions. We know that our leaders are corrupt, that our country is marred by inequality, that there's plenty of injustice. We just try not to let it get in the way of enjoying life."

SEE: The 25 countries ranked least to most emotional, with the percentage of the country who experienced emotions daily shown:

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  • LEAST: Kyrgyzstan

    38%

  • LEAST: Nepal

    38% <em>Nepalese women offer prayers to the Sun god at the Rani Pokhari Pond during the Chhath festival.</em>

  • LEAST: Kazakhstan

    38%

  • LEAST: Belarus

    38%.

  • LEAST: Ukraine

    38%. <em>Protesters hold flags during a rally of the opposition in front of the Central Election Commision in Kiev.</em>

  • LEAST: Madagascar

    38%. <em>View of the Rova, Queen's Palace, on November 9, 2012 in Antananarivo, Madagascar. </em>

  • LEAST: Russia

    38% <em>A local resident walks past a police station in Yarabaikasy, near Cheboksary, the capital city of Chuvashia, Russia. </em>

  • LEAST: Lithuania

    37%. <em>People walk past an entrance to the Lithuania's Embassy in Minsk.</em>

  • LEAST: Georgia

    37%.

  • LEAST: Singapore

    36%. <em> Walkley Press Photographer of The Year Portfolio on November 22, 2012 in Singapore.</em>

  • MOST: United States

    54%.

  • MOST: Nicaragua

    54%. <em>Nicaraguan muslim women attend a protest outside UN headquarters in Managua, Nicaragua.</em>

  • MOST: Peru

    54%. <em>A woman performs an indigenous dance called Huaylia at the Virgen de Lourdes cemetery where relatives converge to honour friends and family who have passed, marking the Day of the Dead.</em>

  • MOST: Dominican Republic

    54%. <em>Dominican flags wave at Flag Square in Santo Domingo, on October 2, 2012. </em>

  • MOST: Ecuador

    54%. <em>A young man jumps from the pier of the port of San Lorenzo, Esmeraldas province, in northwestern Ecuador.</em>

  • MOST: Bolivia

    54%. <em>A street sits empty during a nationwide census effort in La Paz, Bolivia.</em>

  • MOST: Guatemala

    54%. <em>The Quirigua archaeological site, Izabal department, 210 km north of Guatemala City.</em>

  • MOST: Canada

    54%. <em>The Green Gables National Historic Site in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, Canada.</em>

  • MOST: Costa Rica

    54%. <em>Picture of the National Theatre in downtown San Jose, Costa Rica.</em>

  • MOST: Chile

    An artist works on a graffiti on the banks of the Mapocho river within the framework of the first festival of urban intervention, Home-made, in Santiago.

  • MOST: Colombia

    55%. <em>Fans of Millonarios display a flag with the colors of their team and Bogota's flag prior to a Copa Sudamericana quarterfinal soccer match.</em>

  • MOST: Oman

    55%. <em>Oman fans sit under the scoreboard while the sun sets during the FIFA World Cup Asian qualifier match.</em>

  • MOST: Bahrain

    56% <em>Oil workers stand at a facility site in the desert oil fields of Sakhir, Bahrain.</em>

  • MOST: El Salvador

    57%. <em>Children play at the Gerardo Barrios Square in downtown San Salvador. </em>

  • MOST: Philippines

    60%. <em>Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper (R) and his wife Laureen (L) look out as they ride a jeepney during their visit at Fort Santiago in Manila.</em>

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